Tempted by the Prancing Horse

Thanks wceslliot....now I've been scanning Ferrari ads.....

wcelliot made the best post I've seen in a while. After reading that, I'm ready to get a Ferrari too!

I have owned many, no matter what anyone says owning a Ferrari is unlike owning any other car. Kind of automotive magic.

Just seeing it in your garage is an amazing feeling.

Bill,

Thanks for the fantastic post! This is exactly the sort of information I was looking for. I'd certainly fall into the "drive and carefully modify" crowd. Originality is a nice thing, but reliability and usability are more important for me. Beautiful car by the way! I love the way 308s look in non red or yellow.

Andy......you are what is called an enabler!

To insure the Ferrari I'd go with one of the Classic insurance companies. This would be a "fun" car, driven only a few thousand miles per year. Enough to keep it running right, but I wouldn't be leaving it at long term parking at the airport!

decostajbhb wrote: Car Insurance Comparison

This is spam.

Ron

I haven't looked at any in person yet, but there are a bunch that are insanely cheap...I hate you guys!

Thanks for the kind words.

I neglected to mention that I put about 2000 miles a year on my car... another local couple bought their '79 308 about the same time I did and have been using theirs as a daily driver, averaging over 12,000 miles a year. Other than the belt service (which at 3/36 works out to be about the same frequency as mine) they've had no issues. I think their AC even works.

(I also think they did the "dual Pertronix" ignition mod... that solves a lot of the performance issues but you still have twin $500 caps and $200 rotors to deal with...)

I'll be glad to answer any specific questions and/or point you toward enthusiast suppliers that make all sorts of special stuff that allows the use of off the shelf parts... even my XDi was like that... for the same price as an off the shelf system, a Ferrari enthusiast sends you a preprogrammed "turn key" unit... and another enthusiast supplier molded me a broken wiper switch (Ferrari- $1200; enthusaist $200) and provided custom kits to use the QA1's without modifying the car...

Two last mentions... a GT4 is actually a better driver than a GTB/GTS, but with identical maintenance costs, even my wife suggested that if I were going to put up with the potential pain of a Ferrari, it should be with one that I loved, rather than one I settled for because it was cheaper to buy.

Also, I was shopping for a GTS until I drove my first GTB... as much as I like open cars, but the GTB drove like a completely different car... much tighter and solid. After that I never even looked at another GTS.

Bill

Damn... Bill's posts makes me want one now.

Maybe some day when I have more time & room as well as money... I'm having enough trouble keeping a BMW, a Spitfire and an old Volvo in working order...

I went through this decision-making process in 2003 and determined that the extra $$$ for a 328 was well worth it. I did a ton of research that supported the "most dependable and reliable Ferrari ever made" and started a long search for a non-red low mileage northern U.S. (stored winters) example. I am extremely happy with the 22k mile black & saddle GTS that I was able to find in Michigan.

It only let me down once when the 20-year-old water pump died on my way home from Road America. $300 bucks for the part & installation was a breeze. This is actually a pretty easy car to work on if you are handy with a wrench.

The 3-year timing belt replacement myth is what keeps your local F dealer in silk underwear. Belts last 5 to 7 years now and a good independent can replace them for a third of what the dealer wants.

The car is adequately powered (2800 lbs/260+ H.P.), very comfortable, and your wife will love the aerodynamics with the top off - no hair in her face ! Despite 25-year-old styling it still turns heads wherever I go.

They made roughly 5000 spiders and 1000 coupes from 86 to 89. Many of the coupes became race cars and have become scarce. Buy the best example you can find and you might even make money in the long run.